Yellow onions were one of the items flagged by the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office as being flagrantly marked up by Apna Bazar.
Diana Haronis/Getty ImagesA Bay Area grocery store owner pled guilty last Wednesday to two counts of “flagrant” price gouging after officials found that items in the shop were marked up by up to 300%.
Rajvinder Singh, the 51-year-old owner of Pleasanton grocery store Asia Bazar, formerly known as Apna Bazar, struck a plea bargain with the Alameda County Superior Court — dismissing seven of the nine counts leveled against him in May.
“The law prevents businesses from profiteering during a declared state of emergency,” District Attorney Nancy O’Malley said in a statement. “This case marks the first successful prosecution in Alameda County for price gouging in the time of the pandemic.”
According to the initial complaints filed last May, at least nine essential items were flagrantly marked up in the matter of days. California law permits businesses to raise prices up to 10 percent following a proclamation or declaration of emergency.
One item, priced at $2.99 just two days before Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on March 4, 2020, cost $4.99. Days later, it was raised to $7.
A produce item was marked up from 49 cents a pound to $1.99, a 306 percent markup, within the weeks before and after Newsom’s declaration.
Thai hot chilis, Maggi noodles, loose teabags, yellow onions and pomegranates were among the items listed as part of the price gouging complaint.
The store, one shopper claimed, charged “whatever they want” in the days following the state of emergency.
“Witnesses reported prices being removed or crossed out on the shelves and employees telling them the prices are what they are when scanned at check out,” read the initial May complaint.
When Serge Babka, an inspector for the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office, contacted Singh days after the drastic markups were made public, Singh said that he was “forced to turn to other suppliers” to keep Apna Bazar stocked. He did not provide any evidence for these claims.
Following that correspondence, Singh went radio silent until he was charged in May last year.
Singh’s punishment following the plea agreement is a $20,000 donation to the Alameda County Community Food Bank. Representatives from the food bank did not immediately respond to a request for comment from SFGATE.
Bay City News Service contributed to this report.
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